MATCH REPORT

Winning Run Ends

Wolves 0

Shrewsbury Town 0

A frustrated Wolves side could find no way through Shrewsbury Town’s determined defence and had to be satisfied with a point from a disappointing contest as the record breaking winning run came to an end.

Skipper Sam Ricketts was ruled out with a thigh strain so Ethan Ebanks-Landell came in as the only change to Kenny Jackett’s starting line-up. Danny Batth took over the captain’s armband.

Wolves kicked-off attacking the South Bank end on, for a change, a fine afternoon at Molineux.

Sam Foley, on loan to the Shrews from Yeovil, drew a full length save from Carl Ikeme in only the second minute with a shot from just outside the area. The keeper had to regain his feet and scamper across his goalmouth to retrieve the loose ball.

Wolves threatened when Nouha Dicko’s smart footwork saw him beating his marker and running to the touchline but his driven cross was put behind at the near post by Connor Goldson.

The visitors went forward again and Jermaine Grandison’s centre drew a diving header from Dave McAllister right in front of goal but, thankfully for Wolves, he failed to make contact with the ball.

James Henry beat Joe Jacobson as he ran into the Town area, but the winger’s low cross went behind Dicko and through the six-yard box to safety on the far side.

Grandison headed over the bar following a Foley corner and after Ebanks-Landell conceded a foul on Foley just outside the box, Ikeme had to field Scott Golbourne’s attempted headed clearance.

A centre from Henry just eluded the heads of Ebanks-Landell and Michael Jacobs as they ran in at the far post but clear cut chances at either end were few and far between,

Just before the break, Town keeper Joe Anyon held onto an attempted chip from Henry, and Bakary Sako shot high over the bar after Jacobs had pulled a Ebanks-Landell cross back into his path.

Deep into stoppage time Henry almost made the breakthrough but Anyon beat away his fierce driven shot.

Half-Time: Wolves 0 Town 0

Within a minute of the restart, Miles Storey cut into the Wolves box and clipped an angled effort towards the far corner forcing Ikeme to tip the ball away.

Wolves went close to breaking through a minute later after Anyon had clawed away a Henry cross. The ball fell to Golbourne but his low shot was cleared from in front of the line by Tamika Mkandawire.

When a Sako corner was half cleared back to him, the winger curled in a cross that went through the goalmouth and just wide of the far post.

Mkandawire should have given Town the lead in the 54th minute when he ran in at the far post and headed wide following a Foley corner.

Wolves then made a double switch with Leon Clarke and Matt Doherty replacing Henry and Ebanks-Landell respectively.

On the hour mark Jacobs picked out Sako just inside the Shrewsbury box but he fired wide of the far post and then the same two players linked up again with the latter crossing just in front of Dicko and Clarke.

Sako was twice off target – first after Jacobs had played a short through pass to him and then when he scuffed wide from 20-yards.

A neat chipped pass into the box by Kevin McDonald dropped in front of Clarke who, at full stretch, could only divert the ball into the keeper’s arms.

McDonald then found Sako who was again off target before the Scot tried a shot himself, from the right-hand corner of the box, that wasn’t too far over.

Three minutes from the end, Richard Stearman nodded a McDonald cross down to Sako whose fierce shot looked to be on target until it hit a defender and bounced clear. Sako tried again a minute later after turning his marker on the edge of the box but his shot went over the angle.

Both sides had a chance to snatch victory in the three minutes of added time. From Sako’s cross from the left Doherty, on the far side, sent in a diving header that Jacobson turned towards his own net forcing Anyon into a diving save. Had the Town defender not got a touch, Clarke and Dicko were both waiting at the back stick.

Then substitute Tom Eaves broke away and it looked ominous for Wolves but he hesitated allowing Stearman to get back and challenge meaning the final shot lacked power and went straight to Ikeme.